Features:
• Emergency radio with water resistant housing
• Endorsed by the American Red Cross
• Hand crank can be used to recharge the built-in battery
• Tunes AM/FM, seven NOAA weather alert channels, and TV channels 2-13
• Features emergency lights, plus a flashing beacon mode; cell phone charger
American Red Cross FR400 Emergency Radio
The Eton Grundig American Red Cross FR400 is one of Eton's American Red Cross branded, weather-resistant emergency radios. With a dependable hand-crank power generator that powers the unit's AM/FM/TV/Weather radio, built-in LED flashlight, cell phone charger and emergency siren -- all surrounded by a sturdy, weather-resistant casing -- the lightweight and portable Grundig FR400 is an excellent choice for anyone in the market for a radio that can be relied on in emergencies or in environments where there are limited power sources.
Other models in Eton's line of emergency radios that we tested include the Grundig FR200, an entry-level shortwave radio that also includes a flashing LED light; the Grundig FRFR250, a shortwave radio that also includes a flashing LED light, cell phone charger and siren; the Grundig FR 300, which includes the emergency features of the FR250, but offers television and weather station tuning instead of shortwave; and the Grundig FR 350, a water-resistant variation of the FR250.
Power When You Need It
At the heart of all of Eton's emergency radios, including the Grundig FR400, is an internal generator that recharges the internal Ni-MH battery pack and powers the radio, siren, and light. Also, by plugging your cell phone into the jack on the back of the radio (the FR400 comes with a free cell phone adapters by mail), you can use the crank to power your phone. In our test, after draining our cell phone of power, we recharged it using the FR400 enough to make a few calls. The rate of cell phone recharging will vary greatly depending on the cell phone and the state of its battery, but the FR400 can provide your compatible phone with power in a pinch.
According to the product manual, to achieve 40 to 60 minutes of uninterrupted power to the radio, you must turn the crank at a rate of two revolutions per second for 90 seconds. In our test, after our initial 90 seconds of rigorous cranking, the FR400 powered right up and was still going strong with radio reception after an hour. At the hour mark, we briefly turned the flashlight on, and that too was at full force, with no perceivable drain on radio reception. The FR400 can also be powered via the included AC adapter, or from three AA batteries, which are not included. The dynamo crank tucks itself nicely into the side of the radio and offers little resistance as you turn the handle. (Don't let the cranking requirements frighten you! While it's true that a full 90 seconds of turning the crank can be tiring and may not be for everyone, we were able to recharge the radio with less than a minute of cranking and achieved over 40 minutes of continuous power.)
Design and Controls
At 1.5 pounds, and with dimensions of 4.5 x 8.75 x 2.25 inches (HxWxD), the FR400 is made to be tucked neatly into its handy nylon carrying case, ready to be stored in emergency box, or packed neatly for a camping trip. A white LED light is set on the side of the radio, just above the tuning knob, allowing you to use the FR400 like a flashlight. A red flashing emergency light is also included. This placement is an improvement over the designs of the FR200, FR250 and FR350, all of which place the emergency light on the radio's face. But similar to those radios, the light on the FR400 is only designed to help you down an unlit stairwell or enclosed hallway in a pinch, and is not directed or strong enough to help you much in a pitch-black forest or other open area. The radio and light can be operated simultaneously, though of course at the expense of power.
The mechanical controls of the FR40 are extremely visible and easy to use. The volume control is fairly easy to finesse, and the tuning knob, which features a smaller concentric fine-tuning control knob, offers much greater control. A sealed 3.5 mm earphone jack is set into the back, and the telescoping antenna tucks neatly behind the handle strap., and the telescoping antenna tucks neatly behind the handle strap. The radio's 2.5-inch speaker is set directly in front and offers reasonable audio quality and excellent volume for the radio's purpose. The tuner itself is self-illuminated, though in a darkened environment it is still somewhat difficult to pick out the bands.
Tuning and Bands
The FR400 offers AM/FM reception as well as 7 NOAA weather channels and a weather alert, and TV-VHF audio reception for channels 2 - 13. As was the case with all of the Eton emergency radios we tested, our AM reception was outstanding; we were quickly able to tune into every station we searched for. Reception for FM was also very good, though there was some extra fine-tuning on some of the stations. Because weather broadcasts are based on VHF, line-of-sight channels, and because we are slightly out of range of the nearest weather transmitter in our region, we were not able to test the radio's weather reception. Television reception, happily, was quite another story. Though some stations took some finessing of the tuner before we were able to hone in on a strong signal, most of the reception was loud and clear.
While the FR400 shares the same features and performance of the FR300, its sturdy, weather-resistant casing and design modifications give it a distinct edge in emergency situations that's well worth the extra cost.
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